A convicted murderer has been disciplined after photographs of him taken in his prison cell reportedly appeared online.

Liam Ryan, from Gretton Road, in Birmingham, was sentenced along with three others for the murder of Suppiah Tharmaseelan last month.

Photographs of him posing in a cell reportedly appeared on Facebook.

The Prison Service confirmed his Facebook profile had been removed through an agreement with the site.

A Prison Service spokesman said they could not say which prison Ryan was being held at, but confirmed that following a newspaper article he was searched as was his cell and he had subsequently been disciplined.

The spokesman added that he could not comment on what, if anything, had been found in the search.

He said: "Prisoners have no access to the internet and are barred from updating their Facebook accounts while serving their sentence, or asking others to do so from outside prison. If they do, their accounts will be terminated.

Image caption
Suppiah Tharmaseelan was stabbed in a robbery at a convenience store

"If a prisoner is found in illicit possession of a mobile phone or other contraband they will be dealt with appropriately by the prison."

Mr Tharmaseelan, 48, was stabbed in a robbery at Select Convenience Store on College Road, Kingstanding, in November 2010.

Twins John and Ian Meenan and brothers Anthony Bayliss and Liam Ryan - all from Erdington - were found guilty of murder in November 2011.

Ryan, who was 19 when he was convicted, is to serve at least 21 years and Bayliss, who was 25 when sentenced, a minimum of 20 years.

Ian Meenan, who was 27 when jailed, of Short Heath Road, was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years for stabbing Mr Tharmaseelan in the chest with a kitchen knife.